Category: Qualities of Good Fiction

Fixing Dialogue – Part 2

Another thing* that can happen is lifeless dialogue. This is easily identified. It is happening when characters sit around and talk about what is going…

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Fixing Dialogue – Part 1

Remember when you were a child and you played with stuffed animals, army men, or Barbie dolls? There was one thing you always did with…

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If Your Story is Not Compelling

If your story is not compelling to the reader you should delete it and move on to one that is. Here are five questions I've…

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Don’t try to be a better writer than you need to be.

I am currently in a workshop with Dan Barden. Here is one thing Dan said last week: “Don't try to be a better writer than…

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Angry. Sad. Mad.

Angry. Sad. Mad. Happy. Scared. Worried. These are emotional labels that beginning writers will often use to tell their reader what a character is feeling.…

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